Protect
by PrincessBite-Me
Summary: "Thorin Oakenshield internally roared, as the dagger was dragged slowly from his shoulder." Thorin is taken by Azog and Bilbo tries to get him back. Rated T for mentions of torture and wounds.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

Thorin Oakenshield internally roared, as the dagger was dragged slowly from his shoulder.

It had been three days since the battle with Azog outside the goblin city. Three days since Thorin had been taken from the company by the pale orc. Three days of mind numbing torture and pain which had been afflicted on him by the Pale Orc himself.

At the battle Azog had decided to prolong the inevitable death of the dwarf who had taken his arm. Merely beheading Thorin would be too quick, too painless. Azog wanted him to suffer, and suffer he did.

Still aching from the Warg bite at the battle, as well as numerous other cuts, burns, and deeper wounds inflicted by the Orc, Thorin was beginning to lose hope for survival.

But he would not yield.

He would not give this filthy beast the satisfaction of seeing him screaming and begging for mercy or death. He would not give Azog what he wanted.

Thorin bit back another roar as the dagger was once again thrust into his body, this time in his upper thigh. Looking up, he stared into the eyes of his foe, daring him to do his worst.

Azog grinned at the sight of rebellion still in the Dwarf kings eyes. He gave the Orc blade a sharp twist, causing the Dwarf to jerk away in pain, but still he did not cry out. Instead Thorin glared up at the Orc, wishing his arms were not bound, wishing that he had his sword, Orcrist, so he could cleave this foul beast in two, as he should have done at the battle for Moira.

Azog ripped the knife out of Thorin's leg and dragged the tip slowly down the side of Thorin's face, leaving a shallow cut and trail of blood as he spoke.

"Look how the son of Durin shakes, like a babe torn from its mother." Sneer Azog "How much more can he endure. How much more till the dwarf breaks?"

He laughs, cruel and loud as he lashes out, slashing the dagger across Thorin's bare chest. The cut left behind is almost lost among the various other bleeding and partially scabbed wounds marring Thorin's chest. Thorin is fueling all of his rage now into staying awake. The amount of blood seeping from his wounds is making him lightheaded and Thorin knows it won't be long till he loses the battle for consciousness.

Azog raises his claw, the rusted piece of metal he used to replace the hand Thorin had taken. It glints dully in the setting of the evening sun. Before Thorin even realizes what is happening, the claw is descending, sinking into the flesh and muscle that lies between Thorin's neck and shoulder.

Thorin bites his bottom lip hard enough to draw blood, but he does not scream. He does not give in. But this finally proves the last straw and Thorin is wrenched from consciousness as Azog pulls his claw from the muscle.

Finally everything is blissfully dark.

* * *

Bilbo had to bite his knuckles to stop the sob that had been rising from his chest. He silenced himself as Azog ripped his claw from Thorin and the Dwarf king collapsed.

Bilbo was situated at the edge of the Orc camp, hidden deep in the shadow of the overhanging rocks that were currently providing the orcs shelter. He had been tracking them for days, sometimes just stumbling along, lost until he found a large paw print or a small animal torn in two, that showed the orcs had been there.

During the last fight with Azog he had tried to protect Thorin. He had flung himself before the king and killed an Orc to save him. It had not been enough though. Bilbo had heard the Orc screaming for his soldiers to 'Bring the Dwarf's head!" and he had been prepared to sacrifice himself in order to protect Thorin. At the time, he had not had long enough to process why he had felt so strongly, but the only thing he knew was that he had to protect.

So there he was, protecting Thorin, with little more than his letter opener and his courage, with the Orcs advancing menacingly. Suddenly Azog raised his metal claw and ordered his soldiers to halt.

"No. Bring him instead." growled Azog, staring at his metal arm, " I wish to harm him for the pain he has caused me." He finished with a terrifying grin.

The other orcs turned back towards Bilbo with leering smiles as they suddenly charged the Hobbit. Bilbo was ill prepared for such a ferocious attack and he slashed at the orcs but was soon thrown aside by their strength and sheer numbers. One of the orcs slung Thorin over his shoulder before leaping back on his warg. Howling the warg, orc, and dwarf made it back to Azog, and Azog smiled at the beaten hobbit, lying on the ground.

"He's mine now, little one"

Suddenly Bilbo was surrounded once again by Dwarves, those who had finally made it out of the burning tree. The battle commenced once again, Dwarvish axes hacking away at orc body parts. In the heat of the battle no one seemed to notice that the Warg carrying Thorin and the one bearing Azog, both had turned away from the battle and were racing back to the forest, having already taken their prize.

One person did notice their retreat though, and that same person, or rather hobbit, now stood at the edge of their camp after three days of running, walking, and tracking nonstop.

'_It was a good thing the Orcs had not ridden very far or I would have never found them_' Thought Bilbo frantically as he watched Azog order two Orcs to drag Thorin off to the side of the camp and keep guard.

All Bilbo needed now was a plan. He had to get Thorin away from the orc tonight, otherwise he would not last another day. Bilbo had witnessed some of his torture, unable to do anything, helpless he was forced to watch as Thorin was beaten and stabbed over and over again. He could not bear to let it happen again, not when it was within his power to rescue Thorin.

Bilbo touched his pocket to check the ring. It would be his only chance at succeeding. But first he needed to see if Thorin would even be able to escape.

Bilbo followed the orcs dragging Thorin away. He winced as the dwarf king was thrown roughly against a large rock, where he lay; tied up and bleeding, as the Orc guards stood a couple of feet away.

Soundlessly Bilbo slipped the ring onto his finger and he cautiously crept to where Thorin lay. Kneeling down quietly, Bilbo inspected the few wounds that he was able to make out in the dim light with light fingers, fluttering over the large wounds in his shoulder and leg, before ghosting over the marks on his chest. _'He is losing a lot of blood_' thought Bilbo worriedly, _"I have to get him out of here_'.

Looking down at Thorin's unconscious face, drawn in pain, Bilbo couldn't help himself. He gently stroked a light hand across the Dwarf king's brow, and down the uninjured side of his face, in hopes of smoothing away the pained expression. His touch was just heavy enough that Thorin began to stir and in a moment of panic Bilbo covered Thorin's mouth with both of his hands.

Thorin jerked awake at the feeling of something covering his face, something he was unable to see. He jerked his head, trying to escape whatever had him, before freezing at a hurried whisper.

'Thorin! It's me, it's Bilbo! Please be silent."

Thorin stilled in surprise. There was no doubt that it was the hobbit's voice, but Bilbo was nowhere to be seen. The hands on his mouth were removed and he felt something getting close to his body, right up next to his ear.

"I do not have time to explain everything to you, Thorin." Bilbo hurriedly whispered into his ear. "You can't see me because I have an object that allows me to go unseen. I'm here to help you escape. Do you think you could walk?"

Thorin closed his eyes in order to catalogue his injuries. Shifting he had to stifle a groan at the movement of the wound in his thigh. It burned like dragon fire, but if this was his chance to escape this torture, Thorin was not willing to let any injury stop him.

Thorin turned towards where he thought the hobbit's ear was. "I need you to untie my hands and tighten my belt around my leg" he whispered as quietly as he could. "Then I'll be able to walk."

He felt the air around him shift as Bilbo nodded and then cautiously and quietly began to remove Thorin's belt. A muffled thud as the buckle clacked against the dirt, cause Thorin's guards to turn to see if the prisoner was awake.

Both Thorin and Bilbo froze. Apparently seeing nothing of interest the guards turned back to the heated discussion they were having in the black speech.

Bilbo released a breath he had not known he was holding and quickly finished binding Thorin's leg. Then with deft hobbit fingers he untied Thorin's bindings.

"I'll distract the guards" Bilbo whispered once more in Thorin's ear, "As soon as they are gone, make for the edge of camp."

"What about you, burglar? I will not leave you here."

"I'll be right behind you. Just move as quickly as you are able." Bilbo responded worry and nervousness evident in his tone.

Thorin nodded. "Be careful Halfling."

Bilbo shot Thorin a grime smile, which the other could not see before quietly standing and moving towards the guards.

Silently he drew his sword, an idea forming in his head. The orc to his right was wearing a metal helmet and was gesturing furiously, at the other orc. Nervously Bilbo crept up so he was right in front of the two arguing orcs, glad once again for the gift of invisibility. He pulled a small rock out of his pocket, which he had picked up at some point along the road and threw it directly behind the Orc with the helmet. The rock caused a rustle in the grass that caused the helmeted orc to turn abruptly away from the argument to see what had moved. As soon as his back was turned Bilbo raised his sword as high as he could and clanged it against the orc's helmet. The hit of metal on metal caused a loud ringing which must have been unbearable in the helmet. The helmeted orc whipped around, pulling his helmet off to escape the terrible noise. He saw the other guard and came to the conclusion that Bilbo was hoping for, he thought the other orc had struck him.

Soon both Orcs were caught up in a tangle of limbs as they both tried to rip each other's throat out in a fit of rage.

Sheathing his blade Bilbo ran over to where Thorin had just struggled to his feet. Still invisible the Hobbit pressed himself up against the injured dwarf side and under his arm to offer support and to help him walk. Thorin grunted quietly at the sudden press of warmth. The fact that he accepted the Halfling's assistance told Bilbo just how injured Thorin really was.

Bilbo only prayed that they would make it out of the camp in time.

* * *

**AN- So this is just another idea I had for a Thilbo Hurt/Comfort fic. I hope you liked it and if you guys did then I will continue. It will probably be only 3 or 4 chapters long and I already have the next one written. So let me know what you think!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Bilbo could hear the commotion he had started growing louder as more orcs joined in the fight. Thorin stumbled, but Bilbo caught him and they continued their slow trek towards the cover of the trees.

Finally they reached the cover of trees, with Bilbo urging Thorin along deeper into the forest. As far as Bilbo was concerned the more distance between Thorin and the orcs, the better.

They walked for what felt like hours, but were actually mere minutes as the sound of the orcs' fighting grew more and more distant.

Finally Bilbo stopped and Thorin slumped down heavily onto a fallen tree. His face was pale and his breathing labored. Bilbo quickly removed the ring and slipped it back into his pocket. It took Thorin a minute to come to the realization that he could finally see the hobbit.

"Bilbo" he breathed, just before his body went limp and he slumped forward.

Bilbo lunged and wrapped his arms around the dwarf king's shoulders, catching his weight and keeping his unconscious form from a harsh meeting with the ground. Cautiously he laid the Dwarf down on the forest floor, careful not to jostle his wounds too badly.

'_We need to find a place to hide'_ thought Bilbo worriedly. '_Thorin needs rest and I cannot protect him here.' _ It would not be long before the orcs stopped fighting themselves and realized that their captive was gone. Bilbo knew that Azog would search for them with blinding fury and if he found them… well it would not be pretty.

Bilbo placed a hand on Thorin's brow. He found the skin there clammy with sweat and the dwarf king's breathing was coming in shallow pants. Another quick check revealed that his wounds were still bleeding sluggishly and they needed to be cleaned and covered soon or infection would set in.

Bilbo quickly slipped off what was left of his overcoat and covered Thorin with it to ward off the chill. He also moved several fallen branches and dry leaves to cover the other. Hopefully the branches and debris would hide Thorin enough that he would be safe.

Bending close he whispered to the dwarf once more. "I'll be right back. I have to find shelter so we can be safe. Stay alive please. Stay safe"

With that Bilbo stood abruptly, and was surprised to notice that he needed to brush tears off of his cheeks. Now was not the time for such nonsense. He had to find shelter, he had to bind Thorin's wounds, and he had to keep them both safe and alive. With Thorin down for the count it was Bilbo's responsibility to be the leader, and that meant protecting his companion.

He quickly scouted through the underbrush, not exactly certain what he was looking for. He needed someplace hidden and dry. Preferably a place where they could light a fire for warmth, and where there was fresh water nearby.

After a while Bilbo was about to give up hope. He had yet to find any place even close to safe enough and he was becoming more and more anxious. He needed to get back to check on Thorin. Unexpectedly, Bilbo was startled from his musings by a bird that flew directly in front of his face. The small sparrow circled Bilbo twice before flying straight at the mountain side in front of him and disappearing!

Bilbo stared in shock for a few moments as what he assumed was the same sparrow, reappeared from the rock and flew away. As Bilbo came closer he saw what had caused such an illusion.

The cliff face in front of him had a large stone slab that was held slightly apart from the rest of the wall. The thin opening was cleverly hidden from sight by the surrounding foliage and a small group of young trees, making it almost invisible to the naked eye. Bilbo was able to slide behind it and he found himself in a small tunnel. The tunnel was just tall enough for Bilbo to walk through upright, but Thorin would have to bend a bit to fit.

Following the tunnel back a few feet, Bilbo found himself in a small cavern. There were various beams of light seeping in from a couple of fist sized holes in the roof of the cavern that provided enough light for the hobbit to do a quick search around. The cavern was mostly empty except for small branches and some leaves that must have fallen in through the holes in the ceiling. The fist-sized holes appeared to be partially covered by some large leaves that gave the light entering the cavern a faint green tint.

'_This will work perfectly'_ thought Bilbo excitedly. The holes provided light but would not be easily discovered or noticed by the orcs. It may even be enough to hide a small fire. Bilbo hurried out of the cave and back to where he had left Thorin.

Thorin was still unconscious. '_Thank goodness he was not found.'_ Thought Bilbo as he bent down and brushed the leaves off of Thorin's form before placing a hand on his forehead to check on the state of his fever.

Thorin was still clammy, with beads of sweat dotting his forehead. His skin was starting to feel warm to the touch. They needed to get to the cave soon, so Bilbo could bandage his wounds.

"Thorin" said Bilbo quietly; weary of anything in the forest that might take a sudden interest in them. He grabbed Thorin's shoulder and gently shook the dwarf, trying to get him to wake up enough to at least stumble to the cave. Bilbo was not sure if he would be able to drag the dwarf and he was worried about jostling the dwarfs injures further. There was no way he would be able to carry the dwarf, so it was either wake him up, or leave him there. And Bilbo would never leave someone vulnerable and unconscious in the forest, and definitely not Thorin.

Shaking him slightly harder Bilbo was finally rewarded with a low groan from Thorin. "Thorin we need to move. I need you to wake up. I cannot carry you. Please wake up" Bilbo was almost begging at this point. Thorin groaned again but this time his eyes cracked open and he looked up at the hobbit who was trying to rouse him.

Bilbo noticed with slight apprehension that although Thorin was looking directly at him, it was clear that the dwarf king did not truly see him. He had gathered the hobbits torn waist coat up in one hand and was clutching it, as if he were a child clutching a security blanket.

A couple more shakes and Bilbo was finally able to get the still unresponsive dwarf on his feet, albeit with support from Bilbo to keep him upright and propel him forward.

The cave was not a long distance from where they currently were but it took some time and effort to make it back to the opening and down the tunnel in one piece. By the time Bilbo was able to help Thorin all the way in the cave they were both panting and Thorin was practically dripping with sweat due to the exertion.

"Here now. Let me have a look at your wounds." Said Bilbo, worriedly looking at the paleness of Thorin's face and the grimace of pain he was trying, and failing, to hide.

It spoke volumes of the amount of pain the dwarf was in that he didn't just shrug off the pain and Halfling's help, but instead tried to remove his heavy overcoat so that the Halfling could assess the damage. Bilbo rushed to help before Thorin could aggravate his wounds further. After removing his bulky outer coat, armor, and thin under shirt Bilbo could finally see the extent of the damage.

Thorin's chest was littered with wounds, some mere scratches and others deep cuts and gouges. Many of the wounds were covered in drying blood but there were others still bleeding sluggishly. Moving his gaze upward Bilbo saw the stab wound Azog had inflicted while the hobbit had helplessly watched. The wound was set high in Thorin's left shoulder, the edges of it torn and jagged from where Azog had twisted the knife.

On Thorin's right shoulder, in the soft area between his neck and shoulder lay another wound, made of three large puncture wounds, caused by Azog's metal claw. Lower on Thorin's stomach was a stretch of burnt skin. It looked as though it had been caused by the side of a fire-heated blade. Still assessing the damage Bilbo lightly laid a hand on Thorin's leg.

The fabric on his right thigh was sticky and wet with drying blood and Bilbo knew he would need to care for that as well.

Bilbo's hand just barely ghosted over the stab wound in Thorin's thigh, before it was quickly withdrawn at Thorin's sharp intake of breath.

"I'm sorry." Said Bilbo quickly, apologizing for causing unintended pain as his hand instead went higher to gently cup Thorin's cheek. "I'm trying to be careful." He turned Thorin's head slightly with his grip to look at the cut that ran down the side of his face from Azog's blade.

"Not. Your fault." Thorin managed to grind out between grimaces of pain and wracking shivers that were slowly overtaking his body. Bilbo felt Thorin lean into his hand. "Never your fault."

"I wish I had gotten to you sooner. That I had gotten you away quicker. That I-" Bilbo's guilty ramblings were cut off when Thorin's eyes connected with his and this time they were clear and focused.

"You are not to blame Halfling. It is thanks to you that we are both away and safe. I owe you thanks." Thorin finished as the last of his remaining strength drained from his eyes and they drifted close once more.

"You should save what little strength you have. We are not out of the woods yet." Bilbo replied, lightly stroking down the cut on Thorin's face. "Rest. I will do what I can for your wounds. I do know a bit about healing. But I will have to gather some herbs."

Thorin forced his heavy eyes open once more. "Stay safe, Halfling." He whispered as he fell into slumber once more.

Bilbo managed to pry his waist coat from Thorin's hand and he bunched it up to form a makeshift pillow for Thorin. Then he set to work.

**AN- So there was chapter two. I hope it held up to your expectations. If you enjoyed it then please leave me a review to tell me what you thought. Thanks.**


	3. Chapter 3

Protect- Chapter 3

AN- Hey guys. Sorry for the long wait but life kind of caught up with me. So without further ado here is chapter 3. Enjoy.

With Thorin unconscious, Bilbo was able to gentle roll the dwarf king on his side to assess the damage to his back. Thorin's back was littered with patches of burnt flesh, just like his stomach, as well as a wicked looking cut that ran diagonally from below his left shoulder blade to just above his right hip.

'_I'll need a salve to ward off infection. Might as well patch Thorin up while he is unconscious. Hopefully he won't feel anything.'_

Bilbo left the cave and Thorin behind in order to gather the herbs he would need to make his salves. Not wanting to leave Thorin alone for too very long, he worked quickly, keen eyes spotting the various colors and shapes of the herbs he needed; rosemary and lavender to ward off infection, lemon thyme and comfrey to speed up healing. And Willow bark to dull the pain.

Bilbo became so caught up in his searching that he failed to hear the approaching orc party until they were almost on top of him.

The orcs careened into the clearing, grumbling and snorting, growling to each other in the dark language. Bilbo was startled by the sudden appearance of the orcs and it seemed that the orcs were surprised by him as well. There were several moments of utter silence as the two groups stared at each other in shock. Bilbo was the first one in the small clearing to recover and he bolted, turning swiftly and running back the way he had come, herbs clutched tightly to his chest.

A heartbeat later, the orcs were after him, horrible shrieks ripping through the previously peaceful air, as they tore through the undergrowth after their prey. '_It's lucky'_ Thought Bilbo '_That hobbits are so quick on their feet'._

He sped back to the cave before it dawned on him that he should be drawing the Orcs _away_ from the injured dwarf king, instead of towards. _'I can't let them find Thorin again!_' With that thought in mind, Bilbo suddenly veered to the left and began running away from the cave.

The Orcs followed after him like a pack of wolves chasing a rabbit, just as he had hoped. Running faster, Bilbo jerked backwards as the ground abruptly dropped out from beneath his feet. It was only by pure luck that he was able to throw all of his weight backwards with enough force so as not to end up falling off of the cliff. Panting from his now seated position on the ground, Bilbo glanced around wildly, eyes widening with fear as the orc party came into view, the head orc leering at Bilbo grotesquely as he spotted their now cornered prey.

The orcs slowed, their headlong chase turning into a predatory stalk, as they headed for the helpless hobbit. "Nowhere left to run little hobbit. Nowhere left to hide." Sneered the head orc. Bilbo gave a tiny involuntary shudder at the orc's tone. Then he remembered his ring. He slowly shifted his armful of herbs to free one of his hands, which he then slowly slid into his pocket, trying to mask his movements from the orcs using the healing herbs.

Then, just as the head orc thrust out an arm to grab the still shaking hobbit, Bilbo shoved the ring onto his first finger, and swiftly rolled to the side in order to evade the Orc's grasp.

Chaos erupted as every orc in the herd swung their blades wildly around in an attempt to find the now vanished hobbit. Bilbo quickly crawled between the wildly swinging orcs, carefully avoiding each blade swing and step of the horde, as the head orc screamed in the black speech. Finally he reached the edge of the clearing. Standing he bolted into the forest and back towards the cave, eager to feel safe once more. Eager to make sure Thorin was ok. He ran faster.

* * *

Once he was back in the cave, Bilbo made quick work of Thorin's injuries. He made a salve from the herbs he had collected and he made sure to liberally apply it to each and every cut to ward off infection. He was also able to scavenge a needle and some thread from his pack, which he used to sew up the worst of Thorin's wounds as best he could. He found a spare shirt in his pack, which he tore up into long strips and used to cover as many of Thorin's injuries as he could. The smaller cuts he left to breath in hopes that the salve would keep them clean, and the air would allow them to scab over.

Luckily Thorin stayed unconscious for Bilbo's ministrations, only grunting and shifting when Bilbo tended to the deepest and worst of the injuries.

But at long last Thorin's wounds were wrapped and clean to the best of Bilbo's ability and all that was left to do was wait and let the herbs and Thorin's own body heal itself. Bilbo left the dwarf alone to rest as he searched their dark sanctuary more thoroughly.

At the very back of the cave lay a small pool of clear water that had accumulated from a steady trickle that ran down the cave wall. Bilbo cupped his hands and gave the water a tentative taste. It was pure and clean as well as cold due to the overall temperature of the cavern.

Shifting through his pack once again, Bilbo found his wooden bowl that he had been given for meals by Bombur. He filled the bowl and took it back to Thorin in order to coax him into drinking a bit. Bilbo settled Thorin's head gently in his lap and slowly coaxed the Dwarf to swallow a few mouthfuls of the cool liquid. Thorin did not wake through the ordeal.

For the next couple of hours Bilbo occupied himself between checks on Thorin's condition, by collecting as many edible plants as he could find from near the mouth of the cave, still wary of the searching Orc hordes. He found several varieties of edible mushrooms- as well as some very poisonous and inedible mushrooms- and a few handfuls of berries that were enough to make the hobbit a small meal. He was also able to gather wood for a possible fire, but with the orcs still searching so close he was unwilling to take the risk.

Eventually darkness fell and the temperature in the cave dropped rapidly with the loss of the sunlight. Bilbo curled up next to the dwarf king's form for the night after covering his still bare chest with what was left of Bilbo's once fine waistcoat. Bilbo argued with himself that he was only sleeping so close in order to keep tabs on Thorin's health for the night, as well as for warmth. '_After all it wouldn't be right for Thorin to freeze to death after all the effort I put into getting him away from the orcs._' Reasoned Bilbo. And if a deeper part of Bilbo's subconscious grumbled _mine_, well then the hobbit frankly just chose to ignore it.

Lying beside Thorin as the shadows grew deeper in the safety of their cave, Bilbo allowed his mind to wander. Now that he had Thorin away from the clutches of Azog and they were relatively safe, he was finally able to calm down enough to think about why he had been so frantic to get Thorin back.

All he could remember was the utter panic and complete loss of thought that he had experienced as he watched Azog ride off with Thorin as his prisoner. Then there was only one thought clambering around in Bilbo's mind. Growing in volume and intensity until it was shrieking from every nook and corner. _HE IS MINE. GIVE HIM BACK._

In fact, when Bilbo had seen Azog sneering at him as he turned to take Thorin away, Bilbo had almost seen red. Not purely from rage but also from mind-numbing terror at the thought of losing _his_ dwarf. In that instant he just knew he had to get Thorin back so he could keep him safe. Keep him protected. In that instant his brain had claimed Thorin. '_HE IS MINE'_.

So really there was no thought behind his going after Thorin. In fact it wasn't until he had finally reached the Orc camp that Bilbo had begun to fully realize the extent of his actions. It was then that he had realized having an actual plan and maybe some dwarven backup might have been a good idea. But by then it was all too late and he had just had to manage with what he had.

'_It had all turned out ok in the end'_ mused Bilbo silently as he curled up tighter against Thorin's side '_we are both still alive and even relatively safe. A job well done if I do say so myself_.'

And with that last proud thought drifting along in his head, Bilbo slipped quietly off to sleep.


End file.
